Flat tube intercoolers having multiple collection chambers exist in the art. Such intercoolers are known, for example, from DE 43 07 503 A1. There, the disclosed intercooler has a one-piece connection plate. Also, rather than having one-piece flat tubes in the intercooler, heat exchanger plates form the flat tubes.
Another heat exchanger which is presumably also an intercooler is known from DE 44 07 080 A1. The intercooler disclosed therein has no connection plate shown or described. The flat tubes are likewise constructed from plates.
The present invention takes this state of the art as a starting point, from which the inventors have been presented with the task of reducing the number of parts of the heat exchanger in order to lead to a better manufacturability (among other things).